COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION CONTROL APPARATUS, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20130215456A1
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: SAITOH, Kazutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,922,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00217 only involving computer data transmission protocols, e.g. SMTP, WAP or HTTP communication protocol aspects and techniques in packet data networks H04L69/00; network-specific arrangements or communication protocols supporting networked applications H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3209 according to the called number

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a storage unit that stores an Internet protocol (IP) address, a call connection unit that connects a call by transmitting a call connection request via a communication control apparatus to a communication apparatus, and by receiving, via the communication control apparatus, session description protocol (SDP) information in response to the call connection request, an IP address retrieval unit that retrieves an IP address included in the received SDP information, an instructing unit that overwrites the IP address stored on the storage unit with the retrieved IP address, and instructs the communication control apparatus to overwrite an IP address stored on the communication control apparatus with the retrieved IP address, and a transmitting unit that transmits facsimile data to the retrieved IP address as a destination address if the facsimile data are to be transmitted to the communication apparatus connected to the public IP network.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a first storage unit that stores an Internet protocol (IP) address;

a call connection unit that connects a call by transmitting a call connection request, via a communication control apparatus connected to a public IP network and selecting the public IP network to transmit incoming data to the public IP network, to a communication apparatus having an IP address and connected to the public IP network, and by receiving, via the communication control apparatus, session description protocol (SDP) information as response information, including IP address information, transmitted in response to the call connection request;

an IP address retrieval unit that retrieves the IP address included in the response information received by the call connection unit;

an instructing unit that, if the IP address retrieved by the IP address retrieval unit is different from the IP address stored on the first storage unit, overwrites the IP address stored on the first storage unit with the retrieved IP address, and instructs the communication control apparatus to overwrite an IP address stored on the communication control apparatus with the retrieved IP address; and

a transmitting unit that transmits facsimile data, via the communication control apparatus, to the IP address provided as a result of overwriting by the instructing unit as a destination address if the facsimile data are to be transmitted to the communication apparatus connected to the public IP network.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the call connection unit connects the call in response to at least one of an action in which an operation of the communication apparatus is started up, an action in which the transmitting unit transmits the facsimile data, and an action in which an operation unit operated by a user outputs a predetermined signal, and then clears the call without starting a transmission control protocol (TCP) session of facsimile data communication if the response information has been received.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the transmitting unit has failed to transmit the facsimile data, the call connection unit transmits a request to clear a call, and receives response information transmitted in response to the request to clear the call, and wherein if the call connection unit determines that a cause for the transmission failure is attributed to a selection of the communication network, the instructing unit instructs the communication control apparatus to overwrite the IP address stored on the communication control apparatus with the IP address included in the response information.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the public IP network is a next generation network (NGN), and wherein the IP address retrieval unit retrieves a listening IP address in T.38 protocol included in the SDP information included in the response information.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the public IP network is a next generation network (NGN), and wherein the IP address retrieval unit retrieves a listening IP address in T.38 protocol included in the SDP information included in the response information.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the call connection unit connects the call using a bandwidth rated for a communication fee that satisfies a predetermined condition.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the call connection unit connects the call using a bandwidth rated for a communication fee that satisfies a predetermined condition.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the call connection unit connects the call using a bandwidth rated for a communication fee that satisfies a predetermined condition.

9. A communication control apparatus comprising:

an access setting information storage unit that stores access setting information indicating an Internet protocol (IP) address that authorizes access from a public IP network to a first communication network;

a communication network setting information storage unit that stores communication network setting information indicating an IP address according to which one of the first communication network and the public IP network is selected to transmit incoming data therethrough;

a receiving unit that receives from a communication apparatus a modification instruction to modify the access setting information and the communication network setting information;

a setting information modifier unit that modifies the access setting information stored on the access setting information storage unit and the communication network setting information stored on the communication network setting information storage unit in accordance with the modification instruction received by the receiving unit;

an access control unit that controls access to permit an access from the IP address indicated by the access setting information stored on the access setting information storage unit to the first communication network; and

a data transmitting unit that transmits, via the public IP network, data including the IP address indicated by the communication network setting information stored on the communication network setting information storage unit.

10. A communication system comprising a communication apparatus, and a communication control apparatus connected to the communication apparatus, a first communication network, and a public Internet protocol (IP) network,

wherein the communication apparatus includes:

a first storage unit that stores an IP address;

a call connection unit that connects a call by transmitting via the communication control apparatus a call connection request to an apparatus connected to a public IP network, and by receiving, via the communication control apparatus, response information transmitted in response to the call connection request;

an IP address retrieval unit that retrieves an IP address included in the response information received by the call connection unit;

an instructing unit that, if the IP address retrieved by the IP address retrieval unit is different from the IP address stored on the first storage unit, overwrites the IP address stored on the first storage unit with the retrieved IP address, and instructs the communication control apparatus to overwrite an IP address stored on a second storage unit with the retrieved IP address; and

a transmitting unit that transmits facsimile data to the IP address stored on the first storage unit as a destination address if the facsimile data are to be transmitted to the communication apparatus connected to the public IP network, and

wherein the communication control apparatus includes;

the second storage unit including;

an access setting information storage unit that stores access setting information indicating an IP address that authorizes access from the public IP network to the first communication network; and

a communication network setting information storage unit that stores communication information setting information indicating an IP address according to which one of the first communication network and the public IP network is selected to transmit incoming data therethrough;

a receiving unit that receives from the communication apparatus a modification instruction to modify the access setting information and the communication network setting information;

a setting information modifier unit that modifies the access setting information stored on the access setting information storage unit and the communication network setting information stored on the communication network setting information storage unit in accordance with the modification instruction received by the receiving unit;

an access control unit that controls access to permit an access from the IP address indicated by the access setting information stored on the access setting information storage unit to the first communication network; and

a communication network selection unit that transmits data via the public IP network if an IP address of the data is the IP address indicated by the communication network setting information stored on the communication network setting information storage, and transmits the data via the first communication network if the IP address of the data is not the IP address indicated by the communication network setting information.